


I need your help

by River_of_Dawn



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Panic Attacks, Minor Castiel/Sam Winchester, Not Beta Read, Parent Dean Winchester, Season/Series 10, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-27
Updated: 2019-11-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:55:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21585712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/River_of_Dawn/pseuds/River_of_Dawn
Summary: Dean's mobile ringed and he accepted the call without even looking at the screen.“Dean?” a young female voice asked.“Yeah,” the hunter answered, not quite sure, who was calling him, but the voice did seem familiar.“It's me. Krissy. Uh, Krissy Chambers. We met because of a Vetala. I need your help.”
Relationships: Krissy Chambers & Dean Winchester
Kudos: 28





	I need your help

**Author's Note:**

> Just a small something :) Hope you enjoy!
> 
>  **Warnings:** Implied/Referenced Child Abuse; Implied/Referenced Panic Attacks; Some swearing
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** Sadly, I do not own Supernatural. Otherwise we would get a lot more parental!Dean fluff.

Dean's mobile ringed and he accepted the call without even looking at the screen.

“Dean?” a young female voice asked.

“Yeah,” the hunter answered, not quite sure, who was calling him, but the voice did seem familiar.

“It's me. Krissy. Uh, Krissy Chambers. We met because of a Vetala. I need your help.”

“Yeah, I remember. Where are you right now?”

Dean was already grabbing his jacket, moving towards the door, grabbing the pain meds on the table.

“I'm at the Washington Public Library in St Louis, Illinois. I... they are already looking at me weirdly, I'm not sure how long I'll be able to stay here. This is just a really small library and I don't fit in...”

“Do you have money on your person?” Dean slammed the bunker door shut, having penned a short note for Sam or Cas to find when they came back from their latest hunt. Dean had been forbidden from going because he had been hurt on their last hunt, but he wasn't hurt badly enough that it would hinder him from finding and helping Krissy.

“Not much, like 32 dollars and a bit.”

Dean cursed under his breath and chucked some pain meds down.

“Is there any sort of restaurant?”

“Yeah, there are some.”

“Good, choose a restaurant, order something and take your time eating it, say you're waiting for your father if anybody asks. I should be able to arrive within seven hours.”

The Impala tore down the driveway, gravel flying up.

“Alright.” Krissy's voice sounded unnaturally small and timid and Dean almost kicked himself for not asking earlier.

“You're not hurt, right?”

“Nah, I... I'm fine.”

“Good. That's... Good.” Dean sighed in relief. Was this what having teenagers felt like? Parents should get paid for this shit.

“Anything else I should know?”

“No. I'll tell you when I see you. I promise.”

“Alright. I'll be there as soon as possible.”

As Dean finished the call, he pulled into Lebanon's service station, gassing up his baby one more time before hitting the road.

Soon enough he was on the US-36, questions swirling in his head, battling with worry. Krissy was so self-reliant it was hard to find an innocent reason as for why she would call him out of all people for help. So sue him for being worried.

The only others on the road at this ungodly hour – it was around eight in the morning – were some trucks and the sun blinding him, fields on both sides of the road for hours of travel.

Around 10:30 am he stopped at the Chick-fil-A in Kansas City as a short late breakfast, before hitting the road again. Only four hours left, he estimated. His back was already killing him, the pain meds slowly wearing off. Damn witches.

His next stop was only when the gas was empty again. As much as he loved his baby, she really needed way too much gas, even after all the improvements he had added. But shortly afterwards, he left the BP behind and was on the road again, taking a burger from a McD with him. As long as Sam wasn't there to complain he might as well use his chance and indulge in some good old-fashioned fast food.

As soon as he crossed the Missouri-River, Dean called Krissy again, informing her that he was less then half-an-hour away and asking her, where she was currently waiting.

And twenty-five minutes later Dean finally parked his baby in front of the Mt Calvary Church of God.

Outside the church he could see Krissy, her long brown hair swaying gently in the breeze, while she shivered, hugging her thin leather jacket closer around her shoulders, to protect herself against the icy breeze.

As soon as she heard the car, Krissy lifted her head, a slow, genuine smile spreading across her pale face.

Dean opened his door and got out of his car, walking towards Krissy, spreading his arms in an invitation, clearly remembering the last time they had seen each other.

The sixteen year old gratefully accepted the gesture and sank into the hug. Holding her close, Dean could feel her shivering. The teen buried her face into his shoulder, hiding her face from the wind.

After five seconds, he loosened his hold, clearing his throat.

“C'mon, lets get you into the car and warmed up. It's like 50 degrees out here.” (10°C)

He held the door open for her, and Krissy quickly got into the seat, closing the door as soon as possible. With a slight smirk that did nothing to hide his concern, Dean slid behind the wheel, closing his door as well. He leaned back into the leather, winced and sat back up slowly. Krissy didn't notice.

Dean started the car.

“Okay, first of all, you're gonna come with me to the bunker, alright? No matter, what you would rather do --”

Krissy interrupted him: “That's fine.”

Dean glanced at her from the corner of his eyes, taking in her slumped posture and the way her eyes seemed glued to her knees.

“Huh, alright then.”

They drove in silence for a few minutes.

“Is there anything you'd like to tell me?” Dean offered.

Krissy just shook her head.

“We're gonna have to talk sooner or later,” the older hunter reminded her sternly, throwing her a glance.

“Yeah, I know,” the younger answered, whispering, before curling up even tighter.

“Well, in that case... You mind Metallica?”

She shook her head.

Dean slid a tape into the player and the music played loud enough to drown out any attempts at conversation. Considering how Krissy relaxed with the loud music, Dean guessed that the girl really didn't want to talk. Oh, well, at the latest when they would reach the bunker they would need to talk. Dean estimated that they would reach the bunker at around 11 pm.

Again, once they reached Kansas City, Dean turned down the music, so he could talk.

“Do you want anything to eat?” he asked. It was already 7 pm and he hadn't had anything to eat since the burger from McDonald's and whilst he had no problems going hungry, he didn't want the same for Krissy.

“Sure.”

Remembering, that kids should probably eat at least a bit healthy, Dean pulled into a subway.

Not wanting for Krissy to eat in the Impala and possibly smear the dressing all over the leather, they sat in the restaurant for half-an-hour until Krissy had finished her sandwich, still not saying anything, her eyes shying away from Dean. The hunter couldn't help but feel worried about her and what she was thinking right now. Something bad must've happened considering that Krissy had been so lively the other two times they had met.

But Dean kept silent as well.

Soon after they were in the Impala, Dean having turned the music down a bit. Krissy looked tired and he didn't want to keep her from sleeping because of the music.

Sure enough, before they even crossed the Missouri-River into Kansas the girl's eyes had fallen shut and she had began snoring softly. The next three and a half hours Dean spent with only the music as company, the teen sleeping.

Shortly before midnight Dean pulled up in front of the bunker door, shaking Krissy awake softly, whispering: “We've arrived.”

Krissy woke up relatively easy, blinking the sleep out of her eyes, rubbing one hand over her face, hiding a yawn.

“Alright,” she whispered, curling up a bit, her shoulders hunching inwards, before getting out of the Impala.

As they went towards the bunker door, Dean was reminded of the fact, that the girl didn't have anything with her, not even a small dufflebag, making his worry even more pronounced.

Carefully he led her into the bunker and into one of the empty bedrooms.

Krissy just fell onto the made bed, exhaustion clear in every fiber and line of her body, and closed her eyes.

Feeling reminded of all the times when Dean would take care of Sam, he pulled off her boots and jacket, before tucking her in. Stroking with his right hand over her forehead once, brushing some loose strands of hair out of her face, he pulled the covers tight, noticing that Krissy was already asleep.

They would talk tomorrow. But first she would get to sleep as long as she wanted. Krissy clearly needed it.

Dean closed the door softly and went into his own room, setting the alarm clock to seven am.

* * *

The next day started with the alarm clock ringing.

Dean wasn't really surprised to see that Krissy was still sleeping, when he checked in on her before going into the kitchen to prepare some light breakfast for himself. Sam had always slept in as well when he had been that age.

He then spent the rest of the morning going through the Men of Letters' library, sorting the books. Usually this was Sam's job, but since his brother was currently away, Dean had started going through the library as well. He couldn't just spent several days just working on cars and weapons. That wasn't worth the bitch-face he would be sure to get for his trouble.

At two in the afternoon he heard the first sounds from Krissy's room. Dean walked over to the door, unsure if it would be an infringement on her privacy to open it, but then deciding that there were more important things to worry about and turning the knob.

Krissy was turning, sweat on her brow, her hair in tangles, trapped in a nightmare.

Dean sighed before carefully grabbing her at her shoulders, trying to calm her down, before she could hurt herself.

But in that exact moment, Krissy started to turn even more, throwing herself around in an effort, to get away from his hold.

Silently cataloging that whatever had happened to her had something to do with trauma from restricted movement, Dean stood up and walked towards the connected bathroom, grabbing a glass and filling it with cold water, before going back to Krissy's trashing form and upending the glass upon her head.

The teen shook awake with a gasp, for a moment blinking disorientated, before glaring at Dean.

“Really?” she asked fierce, before seemingly collapsing into herself again, eyes, slinking away from Dean's, her posture submissive, similar to yesterday's behavior. Absentmindly she rubbed the water away from her eyes, before suddenly pulling her hand back down.

Dean frowned, before hiding his anger at whatever had happened to the spirited young woman underneath a smile.

“Yes, really,” he said with forced cheer. “You had a nightmare, and it's time to get up anyways.”

Krissy grumbled a bit, before freezing and obeying, mechanically pulling the covers away and getting out of bed.

“It's time for lunch, so I've got some sandwiches ready, if you're hungry.”

“Thanks.”

Silently Dean showed her to the kitchen, where indeed three different sandwiches were waiting. Krissy chose one of them – cheese with salad and tomatoes, Dean noted – and began to eat slowly.

The older hunter waited until she was half-way through the sandwich before speaking up.

“Are you ready to talk now?”

Krissy looked like a deer caught in the headlights, freezing, eyes wide and scared. Still, she nodded slowly.

“Alright, so, you mind telling me what happened to you and your friends? Aiden and Josephine, right?”

“Yeah...” Krissy coughed, turning her face away.

“Do you want something to drink? We've got water, sparkling water, orange juice and bee – no, wait, only water, sparkling water or orange juice for you.” Dean scolded himself for not thinking of the offer earlier.

“I'll take... orange juice?” Krissy frowned, as if she wasn't sure that this was allowed.

“Sure.” With fake cheer Dean grabbed a glass and a bottle with orange juice from the fridge. Good thing Sam always wanted to have something with vitamins in there. He poured her a glass and shoved it over the table at her, before settling down again.

“Thank you,” Krissy sounded way more thankful than she should, considering that they were talking about a glass of _orange juice_.

“So, what happened?” Dean asked, raising an eyebrow, is gaze fixed on the silent form in front of him.

Krissy stayed silent for a bit longer, staring at her glass of orange juice, before lifting her head and looking him into the eye for the first time since he had first seen her in front of that church. Dean raised an eyebrow, silently prompting her to start speaking.

“It... it had all been going well, you know? Josephine and Aiden were great and nothing ever really happened. But then, we... it was just a small hunt, I swear! Nothing was supposed to happen, really, just a ghost a town over, we had it under control –“

“I believe you,” Dean interrupted. “I believe you, okay, Krissy?” He looked at her until she nodded. “What happened next?”

“It was just a normal ghost hunt, but... but Josephine had gotten hurt. Badly. We... we had no other choice than to call the hospital. They were skeptical what the three of us had been doing, especially since Aidan wasn't quite eighteen yet, not to mention that I am only sixteen. They called the police and separated us. Aidan... I don't know where he was brought. Josephine was allowed to go on her own, but forbidden from contacting us again, since apparently she had been a _bad influence_. I... I was sent to some... some foster parents. They... they...” Krissy choked, a sob breaking free, and Dean ran around the table, hugging her tightly, understanding what she was saying, but at the same time disbelieving. Sure, Krissy could be a smart-ass, but she was so sweet and kind at the same time.

The girl's arms tightened around his torso, as she sobbed, tears soaking through the flannel.

“It's alright, it'll all be alright,” Dean whispered into her hair.

Krissy's hold on him tightened even more in response.

“It's all gonna be alright, I promise. You hear me? It will all be alright. I will help you and Sam will help you and it's all gonna be alright.”

After what seemed like an eternity and at the same time a way too short time Krissy's hold loosened and she pulled away.

“Sorry,” she muttered, drying away the snot and tears on her face with the hem of her t-shirt.

“You don't need to apologize,” Dean answered sternly. “Not for your emotions, okay? I know, I'm not the best when it comes to emotions, but that doesn't mean that it isn't okay for you to cry and to need somebody to hold on when it gets too much.” _God knows I would have needed it when I was her age_ , he added on silently in his own head.

“Do you want to talk?” he offered, but Krissy shook her head, looking away again, with a faint blush dusting her cheeks.

“Alright.”

Dean busied himself with cleaning up the kitchen while Krissy finished eating the second sandwich, neither of them saying a word.

After she had finished eating, Krissy turned to Dean.

“Do you... do you have some clothes maybe? I had to leave all my things back at that _home_.”

“Sure. I can borrow you some of Charlie's clothes. How about you go shower and I'll leave them at the door for you. Take your time and as soon as you're done we can head to Concordia. They've got a Walmart there where you can pick out some clothes. Is that alright?”

“Sure. It's not as if I'm picky when it comes to clothes,” Krissy said with a self-depreciating laugh, one hand straying to pick at her t-shirt, the other cupping the back of her neck.

“Alright. It's about one hour away, if I remember correctly and we're not stopping anywhere, so if there's anything you'd like to do before...”

“... I should do it now. Got it. I'm no baby, old man.”

“And I'm no old man, but here we are.” Dean shrugged playfully. “Now go, shower!”

“A towel and some soap and shampoo are already in the shower?”

“Should be. Sam and I made sure that there would always be the necessities in all the showers. If there isn't, you can shout.”

“Alright, old man.” With a slight grin on her face Krissy left the kitchen and despite what Dean had said about him not being an old man he couldn't help but feel glad that Krissy already felt comfortable enough around him to tease him.

Feeling a bit lighter than before, Dean went into Charlie's room, which had remained mostly untouched ever since she had followed Dorothy into Oz. He felt a bit as if he was doing something forbidden, but he was sure that Charlie wouldn't have any problems with this.

He took out a blue t-shirt with a picture of princess Leia and the caption _Rebel_ as well as a jeans. For a short moment he debated whether he should search for underwear before deciding that Krissy would just have to deal with wearing the same underwear again, because that would be quite a breach of privacy.

Five minutes later he was standing in front of the room he had given Krissy, having just put the clothing down, before turning, going inside his own room and grabbing a blue flannel, remembering that the girl liked to wear flannels as much as he and Sam did and those things were really comfy, so he put the flannel in front of the door as well.

Afterwards he took his time to gather a new credit-card and his jacket, before sitting down at the gigantic map-table, to wait for Krissy.

When Krissy arrived – wearing his flannel on top of the t-shirt – he couldn't help but smile at her.

“Feeling better?” he asked.

“I... yeah, thanks,” the girl admitted.

“That's great. Come on, let's go.”

Dean got up and climbed the stairs to the bunker door, Krissy directly behind him. Again, Krissy sat down next to him in the Impala, but this time with a smile and a relaxed body.

“Okay, so, if anybody asks, what should our cover be?” Dean turned his head towards Krissy as he drove out of Lebanon.

“You're asking me?”

“Sure. You managed fine as a hunter, so I'm asking you.”

“Wow, I'm surprised. The great Dean Winchester asking others.”

“Hey, watch your mouth, young lady,” Dean scolded playfully.

When no answer came he looked to the right, only to see how Krissy had curled into herself again.

“Shit,” he swore quietly.

He pulled over near some farm and turned towards Krissy. The girl's shoulders were shaking and she seemed pale, her eyes wide and scared.

“Hey, hey, Krissy. Can you hear me?” he asked. When she didn't react, he swore again. “Okay, breathe with me. In and out, okay? In and out. In and out.” He repeated that mantra for the next few minutes, keeping his voice calm and soothing, until Krissy stopped shaking.

“Hey, you alright?”

Krissy nodded after a few seconds, a bit shaky, but it was there.

“I'm sorry. Do you want to continue driving or do you want to talk about it?” Dean still took care to keep his voice soothing.

A few seconds passed again.

Then: “Driving.”

“Okay, sure, can do.”

They both sat in silence for a few moments.

“Is there anything else I could do?”

Krissy shook her head.

“Alright.”

The next hour was a quiet one, until they pulled into the Walmart parking lot.

There Krissy asked him what their cover story should be, voice timid. Dean wasn't surprised, but he was disappointed that they took this huge step back. He answered that they should pretend to be father and daughter. To his pleasant surprise Krissy smiled at that. He smiled back.

Together they entered the store.

Whilst searching for clothes Krissy got more lively again. She smiled and talked of her own accord and chose her own clothes. Dean couldn't help but smile as her enthusiasm grew more real, but he got a feeling that it had been a long time since Krissy had this much fun. The thought smarted.

But now he had gotten the chance to help her, right? He could guide her and help her and train her. As long as Krissy wanted to, of course. Looking over at her he could already see that that probably won't be any problem.

The girl seemed happy that he was there alongside her and helping her. Her eyes were shining and she was smiling whilst pulling clothes off of the racks and holding them against her, asking Dean what he thought.

And Dean pretended to be annoyed but he knew that Krissy knew he was enjoying this experience as much as she did. Even if he would never admit it.

Although Sam should already know about it, considering how it was always Dean who took him shopping.

An hour later they left the store, carrying two huge bags – one filled with t-shirts, flannels, pullovers, jeans, socks and underwear and the other filled with games, make-up and posters Krissy would like to use to decorate her room. And, damn, that was good to hear.

They also bought a teddy bear which Dean laughed about until Krissy explained that it looked just like the teddy bear she had had as a kid. Then he quietly apologized.

Afterwards they drove back to the bunker, this time talking.

“Where is Sam? I thought you two were inseparable,” Krissy asked.

“He's on a hunt with Castiel. I wasn't allowed to go with them, because I was still too injured.” Dean rolled his eyes at the thought of his brother being over-protective. Not that he wouldn't react the same way if it was the other way round, but still. He was the older brother!

“Who is Castiel?”

“He's our angel on the shoulder. Literally an angel, not literally on the shoulder.”

“An angel?” Krissy's voice sounded disbelieving. And who was Dean to blame her. That had been his reaction as well after all.

“Yes. He helped us avert the apocalypse.”

“The _apocalypse_? Now you're just trying to pull my leg.”

“Nope. All real, sadly. The whole skedaddle really happened and it _sucked_.”

“You're gonna explain that to me later. In detail.”

And that was how Dean learned that Krissy was raised religious, never really believing herself, but going to church on Christmas and Easter.

By the time they arrived at the bunker Krissy was back to behaving the same way she always had before whatever had happened at the home.

Back at the bunker Krissy first went up to her room to put all her new stuff away, while Dean went to the kitchen to make pasta for dinner.

Whilst he pulled out the needed ingredients for making pasta Dean hummed Metallica and thought about all that had happened those last two days.

First of all, it seemed as if he had suddenly adopted a teenager. Which was... surprising.

In that moment he realized that Sam didn't know about Krissy yet and made himself a mental note to call his brother after dinner and tell him about the most recent development in their lives.

Second of all... the pasta was done.

He filled the noodles in a bowl and the sauce in another, as well as placing a carafe of orange juice alongside two glassed on the wooden tabletop. He decided that with Krissy here he at least shouldn't drink before dinner.

As soon as he finished with the cutlery he went down to Krissy's room knocking on her door.

“Dinner's ready,” he called.

“I'm coming!” Krissy shouted back and Dean bit down an inappropriate joke. Seconds later the door opened.

“So, you've got everything sorted out?” Dean asked her, trying to peak into her room.

Krissy laughed and shut the door.

“Not quite yet,” she admitted.

“Well, you've got time to sort it all out.”

“I know. I... I've been meaning to ask...” She hesitated.

Dean sat down at the table and glanced at her.

“What happens with me now?”

Dean filled her plate and put it down before her.

“Well, you're welcome to stay here if you want to.”

“I... Thanks.” Krissy ate the first bite of the pasta. “Wow, this is delicious! Never pecked you for a good cook.”

“Heh, thanks.”

Dean helped himself to some pasta.

“I was wondering what I would continue to do from here on. I mean, police is now aware of me and my friends are away and...” Krissy looked at her glass of orange juice, slowly lifting it to take a sip from the juice, savoring it in her mouth to stall.

“If you wanted to, Sam and I could train you to become a hunter. It would be hard and definitely not pleasant, but if you still want to be a hunter, we could support you with a base, money and training as well as support. Also you'll still have to go to school. At least until you're eighteen. We could do that under a fake name, so there would be no problems with that.”

“I would like that a lot.” Krissy caught his eyes with hers. “If you were really willing to do this, that would mean the world.”

“It would be hard and difficult and you will curse and wish for us to be on the other side of the planet,” Dean warned her, pointing his fork at the girl.

“I know.” Krissy smiled.

“And just so you know: You'll have to go to school either way, whether you choose to train as a hunter or not.” Dean swallowed. “Or you run away, so you don't have to go to school and then Sam and I find you and you'll still have to go to school. At least until you graduate.”

“Sure. It might actually be fun to go to school again. Sure, I'll be behind, but...” Krissy shrugged with a smile. “It's a bit of... normal life, you know?”

“Ugh, you're just like Sam.” Dean grinned at the thought of how the two of them would get along swimmingly.

Krissy grinned back and stuffed another fork loaded with pasta into her mouth.

“But no matter what, you'll always have a place here, you know that, right?” Dean reminded her with a firm voice, catching her eyes.

Krissy's grin widened through the mouthful pasta.

“Sure, you big ol' teddy bear,” she teased, but Dean could see the gratitude and relief behind the facade.

Once they had finished eating they washed the dishes hand in hand – Dean washing the dishes and Krissy drying them.

“Do you wanna watch a movie?” Dean suggested as he put the last bowl away, turning around to face the teen who had waited on the kitchen table.

“Yeah, I would love to.”

“Nice. Star Wars okay with you?”

“Of course! Who doesn't like Star Wars?”

“Great. I'll make us some popcorn and you could go into the movie theater and search for the DVD. It should be there somewhere.”

“Somewhere,” Krissy muttered, shaking her head, but leaving the room anyways, leaving Dean alone in the kitchen to make popcorn.

When Dean went to the movie theater he got himself a bottle of beer and made himself a note, to ask whether Krissy would like any drink beside orange juice.

In the movie theater Krissy had indeed found the disc and also managed to start the movie, having paused it at 'STAR WARS'. Dean saw that she had been smart enough to choose 'A New Hope' instead of the prequels.

He sat down next to Krissy and put the bowl with the popcorn into the girls lap, silently encouraging her to take as many as she wanted, before popping open his beer and taking a long sip, letting the taste fill his mouth.

“Hey Krissy, before we start the movie I've been meaning to ask, whether you would like anything special to drink or whether you have any preferences when it comes to food?”

“I... maybe some cola or something? I mean, I like orange juice – or any kind of juice – just fine, but maybe for movies or so? And as for food... As long as it doesn't contain brussel sprouts or mushrooms it's probably fine?”

“Okay, I'm gonna drive to the little shop here in Lebanon tomorrow, so I could get you some cola and stuff. If you want anything else, just tell me, okay?”

“Yeah.” Krissy smiled and Dean started the movie, settling back.

Towards the end of the movie Dean had ended up with his arm slung around Krissy and the girl leaning against him. He smiled at the peace of that moment and let it last a bit longer before loosening his embrace.

“Okay, time to go to sleep, Krissy.”

“Sure. Good night, Dean.”

“G'night.”

When Dean went to his own bedroom half-an-hour later, he could see that at least the lights were out in Krissy's room.

* * *

The next morning Dean was surprised when he saw Krissy up before it was noon.

The teen stumbled into the kitchen, hiding a yawn behind her hand.

“Do you want anything for breakfast or are you willing to wait two hours for lunch?” Dean asked bemused.

“Ugh.”

Krissy slumped down on the kitchen chair.

“I'll just make you a toast with bacon then,” Dean decided.

“Mh,” Krissy agreed.

Leaning against the counter, Dean watched her waking up slowly with each bite.

“Sleep well?” he asked, letting his amusement show in his tone.

“Yea-ah,” Krissy yawned.

“You want anything else?” Dean took a sip of his coffee.

“Nah, I'm good. Thanks.”

They sat in silence, Dean leaned against the counter and Krissy slumped in her chair.

“Say... How exactly is that going to go? I mean with the hunter training?” Krissy asked, curiosity and also a bit trepidation in her voice.

“Well, of course we'll do lots of physical fitness stuff – running, jumping, climbing, digging, the usual – as well as specific hunter skills. I mean, you already know how to break into a house, but we will still work on skills like those. Also lots of lore for you to learn. How to deal with monsters 101. How to research, how to impersonate. Maybe a bit about conning and cheating. Of course a lot of weapons training. We'll see.” Dean took another sip of his coffee. “Do you have a hunter journal already?”

“No...”

“Then that might be a good idea as well. It's basically a journal where you catalog everything about monsters, your hunts and so on. Everything that could be important in the future. Addresses, names, you know. Do you know how to drive?”

“Good enough.”

“That's good. We'll definitely work on that as well though. And if we think that you're ready we'll take you along for some field experience.”

“Now I feel as if I was way under-prepared the last time.”

“You were,” Dean stated.

Krissy looked ashamed at the ground.

“Y'know, I thought I was ready, but I was just a really dumb kid, wasn't I?”

“Maybe. But every hunter starts that way. It's nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Thanks.” Krissy smiled shyly and Dean help his arms open, looking towards the side, as Krissy embraced him. He patted the girls back for a few seconds with a smile, before loosening the hold and grumbling about his capacity of hugs for the day being reached.

Krissy laughed and stepped away.

In that moment the door to the bunker opened and Sam and Cas entered, looking a bit sleep-deprived but not seriously hurt, as Dean noted with relief.

Whilst walking down the stairs Sam suddenly stopped, causing Cas to run against him.

“Uh, hi Krissy,” he said surprised before looking at Dean. “Dean, why's there a teenager in the bunker?”

“Krissy needed help and a place to live for some time. I offered she could stay here,” Dean explained.

Cas shoved himself past Sam and went up to Krissy.

“It is nice to make your acquaintance. My name is Castiel and I am an angel of the Lord. Well, was,” he introduced himself, staring Krissy in the eye.

“Uhm, yeah, nice to meet you too, I guess?” Krissy threw a look towards Dean, which screamed 'help me', but Dean just grinned.

“Dean, Sam and I salted and burned the ghosts successfully.”

“That's great, buddy.”

Finally Sam managed to shake himself out of his stupor.

“Okay, I... I'm just gonna go sleep now. See you all later.” With that he trudged down the stairs towards his room.

“G'night, bitch!” Dean jelled at his back, causing Sam to grumble: “Jerk,” back at him, before turning around the corner and vanishing from sight.

“I am... going to go to sleep as well. The hunt was tiring,” Castiel excused himself.

Dean nodded.

“Sure. Me and Krissy'll stay here, so if you need anything...?”

“Thank you, Dean.”

When they were alone, Dean turned back to Krissy.

“So, you still planning on going to Stanford?” he asked, only half-jokingly.

Krissy turned thoughtful.

“I don't know. I mean, when I first told you about it it seemed like such a pipe-dream, ya know? Dad might've said that we would leave the life behind, but I still wasn't sure he would actually keep his promise to me about stopping hunting. And even if he did, there was always this question, of whether I would actually be able to go to college, what with student loans and also the knowledge of monsters and all that. I mean, how could I possibly live such a quite life, knowing about everything?” Krissy sighed. “But now... I don't know. With Josephine and Aiden it had been clear that I wouldn't be able to get into college. As long as I was staying with them, there wasn't even a chance of me finishing high-school.” She laughed, trying to shrug it off, but Dean could see that it meant a lot more to the girl than she let on.

“And now?” the older hunter asked her, quietly.

“I'm... I'm not sure. At least I would like to finish high-school. But... ya know, college is like this big, impossible thing. Or, it seemed that way all the time.”

Krissy sat down on the kitchen table, her gaze focused on the drawer to Dean's left.

Dean remained quiet, waiting.

“I just don't know. Ask me in a year, maybe I'll know by then.”

“If you want to you could ask Sam about his experience with college,” Dean offered.

“Sure, old man. I will do that.”

They remained silent for some time, each following their own thoughts.

“So, you wanna watch a movie?” Krissy suggested, obviously wanting to stop the conversation they had had before and probably never think about it again, in the hopes that Dean would forget about it.

“Sure thing.”

“And just for the record: This doesn't mean that you're my new dad all of a sudden, clear?”

“Aren't I? I'm hurt.” Dean held his right palm against his chest and dramatically rolled his eyes.

“Shut up, you dork.”

“We're back to insults now?” Dean dramatically flailed. “Oh, woe is me, how will I ever survive?”

“Shut _up_ , dork.”

Dean laughed at the look in Krissy's eyes, the exasperation and teasing clearly visible on the girl's face.

Krissy shoved against his side... which really didn't do much to Dean, but the intent behind the friendly shove was clear.

Dean turned his face towards her.

“Whoever's at the movie theater first gets to choose the movie?” he asked and started running, before he had finished speaking.

“Oh, it's on, old man!”

* * *

Sam heard the sounds of laughter as he walked along the hallway.

A smile found it's way onto his face, as he contemplated the fact that he hadn't heard his brother laugh so hard and freely for a long time. It had been years since they had been so carefree, the only thing to worry about the monster of the week and the ongoing prank war.

And now they had stopped the apocalypse and had both been to hell. Hell changed a person.

So to hear his brother laugh like that again was like a dream come true.

Sam stopped at the doorway to the room where they had set up a ridiculously huge couch and TV, seeing Krissy and Dean laugh at things they or the characters in the movies said, all the while nudging each other and just enjoying the down-time.

For Krissy this had to be something special as well. This girl had had such a hard time, and whilst Sam didn't know yet what had brought her to the bunker and triggered Dean's older brother instincts, it was obvious that it hadn't been anything good.

When the laugh lines in Krissy's face vanished for a second, Sam could see the familiar shadow of guilt and hurt in her eyes, a shadow that he knew all too well from Dean, Castiel and other hunters, as well as the fact that he always saw it in his eyes whenever he looked inside a mirror. It was a shadow that spoke of pain.

Seeing her's and Dean's eyes brighten for even a few seconds while they were watching a movie however was a gift. And so while it might not have been a good thing that brought Krissy to them it couldn't have been more appreciated by Sam.

He felt a wave of guilt flash up at the thought, but he swallowed it down, instead leaning against the doorway and simply enjoying the atmosphere in the room, the flashing lights from the screen and the sounds washing over him.

“It is nice to see them so happy, isn't it?” a deep, rough voice intoned from behind him, a voice that he had come to love, because it was just so truly and genuinely Castiel, as iconic as those blue eyes and the ever-present trenchcoat.

Sam nodded, without turning towards the angel, feeling him standing next to him, a comforting warmth radiating from him.

In that moment Dean looked up, seeing the two of them.

“Come on, guys! You can sit down as well,” he invited them with a shout.

Castiel threw Sam a small smile at that and settled down next to Dean, obviously aware that Krissy was still a bit skeptical about him.

Sam himself sat himself next to Krissy, grabbing some popcorn out of the bowl in her lap, earning himself a small complaint. He leaned back, smiled and focused on the movie.

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked it, feel free to leave some kudos, comments and bookmarks :)


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